more than meets the eye
by ember53608
Summary: they are not a couple. of this, the entirety of ferryport landing high school is sure. [canon divergence.]


If this fic doesn't make it obvious, I am that person who worships the idea of Sabrina and Puck taking their time in becoming an actual, official couple. Enjoy, and R&amp;R!

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They are not a couple. Of this, the entirety of Ferryport Landing High School is sure.

Their fingers don't curl into each other's palms, and while their shoulders may brush when they walk together in the hallways, there is something about the two that says, we aren't quite there yet-

(-but hey, we're getting there).

Puck, without a license, sits begrudgingly in the passenger seat of Sabrina's car every morning, messing with the radio dial. They fight for their pick of stations, but the feigned disgust once so characteristic of their childhood isn't anywhere to be found, and always, always, one or the other ends up listening to music they decide isn't all that bad.

Their classes are no longer matched, so where Sabrina goes right and up the stairs to Mrs. Woodley's room, Puck splits away from her to make a sprint for the soccer fields. To say that they aren't on each other's minds is a lie, and once or twice, Puck misses an easy pass and Sabrina blurts out executive instead of legislative.

They meet up in the senior mall three minutes into the passing period to walk to their calculus class at the other of the school. The walk is relatively quiet, and when she asks him if he knows his derivatives or some other thing, he replies that he is over four centuries old and knows a great deal more than she may think.

Being the last to enter the classroom, they never score the same table, but are always within view of each other. They carry conversations with their eyes, their brows, their mouths. It's a delightful spectacle, and every other person trades whispers-he's meant for her, she's meant for him. The teacher aid catches Sabrina's cheeks tinged a rosy pink from time to time, and she smiles to herself, because it's nice to watch love going through the motions.

British literature is Puck's favorite part of the day, and he weaves his way through the motley of people before Sabrina can remind him to meet her outside the band hall for lunch two periods later.

He loses himself in every line, every word, and though it isn't all Shakespeare, he's glad to revel in the familiarity. The works of the Bronte sisters capture him for the moment, and while Sabrina wonders whether or not he'd like to go to this Friday's football game, he laughs piteously at the effects of romantic upheaval. Not surprisingly, the fact that he was once a victim of it himself doesn't come to mind.

Sabrina pushes through folk dancing in German, unable to meet her partner's eyes. It all seems so wrong now, dancing with this guy she's known since the eighth grade, not sixth. His hair is slicked back and neatly parted in the middle and all of a sudden she just hates it, because what's hair when you can't ruffle it affectionately or tangle it in your hands?

Most days, Puck forgets that she waits just outside the band hall for him, a paper sack rolled neatly up at the top clutched to her chest. She nestles herself in a corner, using the angled wall behind her for support, searching the passing crowd for a devilish face. Emmalee and Jane, the other drum majors, ask her if she'd like to join them at their table, but she politely declines and says she's waiting for someone.

The pair of juniors give each other an anxious look, then pass on without a word, deciding that it's better not to meddle.

When it seems as if every person with last lunch has trickled out the doors, Sabrina slides down the wall and sits cross-legged on the floor. She glumly starts to chew on the ham and cheese sandwich Jake packed her that morning. It's neat and square at the corners, just like the ones at the coffee shop. She smiles at the undying glimmer of Briar Rose that shines through her uncle, but only briefly.

Puck remembers just five minutes before lunch ends. He flies out the cafeteria doors and slips quietly in past the ones to the main building, not having to walk far. She sulks plainly in her corner of the hallway, not bothering to look his way out of annoyance and almost-utter disappointment.

He kneels down to her level, smiling apologetically and knocking her forehead. She shuts her eyes when he whispers, Sorry, and though it looks as if there is no one there to catch the moment, from behind the small slit of a window each door to the band hall happens to have, the head director secretly looks on in amusement at the spectacle.

The Sabrina Grimm he knows would say that someone like her doesn't have time for love. The Sabrina Grimm he knows would turn down boys left and right, too involved in other things to worry about Homecoming or Prom.

The Sabrina Grimm he knows, evidently, is a hypocrite and a liar, especially (and only) when it comes to this boy, with his whirlwind demeanor and starlight eyes.

When the pair has picked themselves up off the floor and whispered away to their forensics class, the ever aging man walks out into the hallway and stares after them. They are more than meets the eye, he decides, and with that he is gone to get another cup of much needed coffee.

The remainder of the school day floats into the ether. They aren't aware of the papers, the activities, the lectures, just each other's presence and the small space of air that sits between them. The exchanges from calculus come back to haunt bystanders again, and every insignificant other in the room wonders why, oh, why haven't the two started dating yet?

At the end of the day, they slow their footsteps and talk about little things until they're back where they really started-the band hall. Sabrina looks back to smile at him before disappearing into the marching season atmosphere, and Puck grins after like silly. She's conveniently slipped the car keys into his pocket, so he drives all the way home-still with that absolutely idiotic grin plastered onto his face-only to come back near three hours later.

He waits at the highest tier of bleachers, watching the final run through of the day. She sticks out like a sore thumb, standing confidently on the center podium, hands moving in a deadset rhythm. The members of the marching band move without a word at her command, and he closes his eyes and hums the melody they pour out of their heart and soul.

When the performance-splendid but not yet perfected-comes to an end, he treks back to the band hall and waits for her, the way she did for him only hours earlier. Sabrina doesn't say anything to him about it, but smiles to herself in amusement as he compliments her work on their way to the car. She shrugs and comments on all the things that went wrong, and Puck shoves her playfully, telling her to ease up and relax.

She shoves in return, and it goes back and forth the entire way, underclassmen and upperclassmen alike thinking, God, what even.

The ride back home in the evening is never not more picturesque than their morning trip, and-cliched as it is-they stick their hands out the window and point out constellations, old and new. Puck swears he spots himself somewhere in the night sky, but Sabrina scoffs and says, that's just Orion, you goof.

They return home laughing, squeezing past the door in a race to see who will make it to the dinner table first. Daphne, whose job it is to set the table, complains loudly about the rambunctious pair. Relda soothes her to the best of her ability, whispering that the duo will be the ones to clear the table and handle the dishes. The brunette nods in satisfaction, and they all sit down to an exotic dinner.

After-dinner happenings are always more subtle. Sabrina sinks into a tub of warm water that Red was kind enough to prepare, and Puck blasts Cage the Elephant back in his room. They're apart, and for a good fraction of time, they aren't on each other's mind, that is, until Puck remembers he has to shower and obliviously walks in on Sabrina, to which she replies with a drenching splash of water.

He exits the bathroom absolutely grinning, not because he's seen her shoulders bare or the way her bones arch from her neck upward, but because he hasn't had this kind of fun in a long time. Red peeks out from her bedroom every now and then, wondering if such a nightly event is considered normal in the world of people who are in love with each other.

Puck catches her staring and asks teasingly, What are you looking at, little miss? She squeaks and disappears into her bedroom, to which the fairy prince laughs. Kids, he thinks to himself, walking away.

Kids and their wild, wild imaginations.

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There's a reason behind why I didn't use quotation marks in this fic. If you'd like to ask about it, be my guest! Also, I'll be taking prompts in the form of titles that start with the letter "m", if you'd like to send some in. Thanks!


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